Steering-gear for sleds.



W.M. woons. STEERING em FOR susos.

APPLICATION FILED JULY L 1915.

Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

Application filed .Tuly 2, 1915. Serial No. 87,842..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILDMAN M. Wooos,

' a citizen of the United States, residingat vented new and'useful Newton, in Jasper county Iowa, have m- Improvements in Steering-Gear for Sleds, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the drawings.

My invention relates to gear for more conveniently guiding coastin sleds, and has for its main object the pro notion of such steering gear which may be easily operated from the seat of the sled by the hands. Another object is the production of such gear with as few parts as possible, and these assembled in a. simple, convenient and practical manner.

With these and other objects in view, attention is called to the accompanying drawings, to be considered as a part of this specification, and wherein Figure I representsa top plan view of the steering-gear -as attached to a sled, showing the normal straight-forward direction of the sled in solid lines, and also by dotted lines how the sled may be guided to either side by correspondin ly turning the steerin wheel and thereby ending the runners. ig. II is a side elevation. Fig. III is a front elevation. Fig. IV is a bottom plan view of the frontal portion of the sled showing the rack and sprocket attachments.

Referring particularly to the drawings, A represents a sled as an entirety and equipped with my improved steering gear. The sled A is made up of the two runners 1 curved at the forward ends, the supports 2, the two side bars 3, the cross-bars 4, 5 and 6 and the front bar 7, all assembled rigidly together,v except that the runners 1 have a certain degree of flexibility to permit them to bend or curve sidewise to steer the sled and the front ends of the runners are secured to the front bar, 7, by single pivot bolts, 7, to allow the runner ends to rock on the front bar coincidently with the bending or curving of the runners. The onepiece top board 8 is secured firmly to the two rear-most cross bars 4 and 5, but is left free and in sliding contact only with the front cross-bar 6. The forward end 9 of the top board 8 is somewhat tapered for the sake of appearance, and clears by a narrow space the inner edge of the front bar 7. The front bar 7 is provided with the footrests 10. The front bar 7, is reinforced b a metal plate, 11, which is secured to t e undersurface of the same by the bolts, 7, which also connect the front bar to the runners as shown in Fig. 4, the projecting extremities of the plate being shown in said Fig. 4, interposed between the runners and bar, 7, with the bolts passin through the three elements, the runner en s, the plate and the front bar, 7.

The plate is provided with a forward extension which preferably is narrower in width than the upper portion of said plate and also the top board, 8, and which bends diagonally downwardly and rearwardly as shown at, 11, in Fig. 2, and then upwardly and rearwardly as shown at, 11*, forming a bent forward extension of hollow triang ular form.

he two portions, 11, and, 11', are approximately in the form of a V when viewed from the end and are bent at a right angle to each other.

he object of this construction is to stiffen and strengthen the reinforcement and also to provide a slanting or oblique portion which forms a steering rack 1n which a series of slots and (perforations, 12, are cut or otherwise forme that extend in a longitudinal" row as shown in Fig. 4, and constitutes one member of the steering gear of the sled.

An openin is cut in the forward end of the top boar which extends obliquely or at a slant and an oblique hollow or tubular steering post or column, 16, is suitably secured on the top board with its upper portion extending upwardly and rearwardly and its lower portion extendin through the opening in a downward an forward direction as shown in Fig. 4.

A steering shaft, 15, is rotatably mounted in the'hollow steering'column and secured in place therein against longitudinal movement by cotter pins, 17,as shown in Fig. 4, near the center of said figure. A metal supporting and reinforcing plate 17 is securely fastened upon the top surface of the forward end of the top board, 6, by screws or other fasteners and serves to support and maintain the steering post, 16, rigidly in position. Upon the upper end of said steering shaft 15 is rigidly mounted the steering wheel 18. At the lower end of said steering shaft 15 is rigidly mounted the sprocket wheel 19, with its sprockets 20 adapted to exactly engage the transverse tion, 11*. However, said transverse slots 12 are of a length somewhat greater than necessary to exactly accommodate the transverse width of the s rockets 20, so as to allow room for the iorward play of said sprockets 20 within said slots 12, due to the axial shortening of the sled A. as the runners 1 are bent to either side.

The rack, 11 is secured to the front bar, '3, in any suitable manner, or it may be made integral with said bar 7. Y

The metal stifl'ening plate, 11, has a three fold function, it reinforces and strengthens the front bar, forms the rack of the steering gear, and provides a projecting guard and bumper at the front end of the sled.

ln actual use it will be seen that by merely turning the steering wheel 18 to the side it is desired the sled itself to turn, the sprocket wheel 19 traverses the rack 11 in the opposite direction, thereby forcing the front-bar 7 to the side it is desired to turn the sled A, the runners l bending correspondingly in the same direction, thus accomplishing the desired result. It will also be noted that by virtue of the room allowed in thetransverse slots 12 for the forward play of the sprockets 20, as the runners 1 bend to either side, means is provided for the smooth working or my improved steering gear under all conditions.

Although I have herein described and set forth certain specific manner and methods of constructing and assembling the elements of m invention,. I reserve the right to modi same in minor details, not departing from the spirit, of my invention, so as best to form my improved steering gear to, meet all practical demands.

What I claim is: 1. In a device of the class described, a sled ea ers and with its lower rear part provlded with a series of tooth receiving slots or perforations arranged in a longitudinal row, a tubular steerin post or column extending obliquely throng the top board with its upper portion projecting upwardly and rearwardly through the oblique opening in said top board and dependin downwardly and forwardly, a steering shaft rotatably mounted in the, steering post or column and having its upper portion projecting above said column, a steering wheel mounted on the upper above the board and its lower portion fitting prmecting end of said shaft and a gear wheel mounted on the lower extremity of said shaft and having its teeth project into the slots or perforations in the oblique lower rear part of the extension of the metal reinforcing plate.

2. In a device of the class described, a sled construction comprising a top board, flexible side runners, a transverse front bar, a steering shaft rotatably mounted in the top board, and carrying a gear wheel, and a metal reinforcing plate secured to the front bar and having a rack cotiperating with the gear wheel on the steering shaft, said plate in part'projecting in front of the sled and forming a guard or bumper therefor.

LDMAN M. WUODS. 

